As previously reported, the next instalment in the ongoing Paranoramal Activity series is this year conspicuous by its absence. Since 2009 we've checked in with Katie and Hunter every October, but post-part 4 there seemed to be an indefinite gap in that regular schedule, with only a spin-off - The Marked Ones, previously known as The Oxnard Tapes - acting as Paranormal methodone in January. Just announced, however, is the news that Paranormal Activity 5 is now underway.

As widely predicted, the director will be Gregory Plotkin, editor of the previous three Paranormals, and also co-producer of the previous two (as well as The Marked Ones). His career as an editor is long established, with credits on dozens of films including The Break Up, The Recruit, Hart's War, Pleasantville and Michael Mann's The Insider. This is his first break calling the shots, and appears to be a gig he's had an eye on for some time. He replaces Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who were behind both Paranormals 3 and 4. Jason Blum and Oren Peli are, of course, producing.

The writers this time are Jason Pagan (who wrote the in-production Almanac, produced by Michael Bay) and newcomer Andrew Deutschman. As per usual, there are no details about where they'll be taking the story, but given the two-year cliffhanger (if we're assuming a release in October 2014), one would hope they'll be picking right where part 4 left off. But since the series ran backwards for a while (parts 2 and 3 were prequels) there's no guarantee of that at all.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, meanwhile - a "cousin" to the main series, featuring the same demon and somehow geared to the Latino market - is out on January 3.